Book Reviews / Social & Emotional Learning
by MiddleWeb · Published 09/21/2017 · Last modified 11/17/2019
Debbie Silver and Dedra Stafford offer a detailed look at social-emotional learning in Teaching Kids to Thrive. Veteran teacher David Bever finds the up-to-the-minute research coupled with extensive strategies a winning combination for boosting SEL practice.
Excited about Science / The Science Lady
by Kathy Renfrew · Published 09/20/2017 · Last modified 12/01/2019
What can science teachers do in the first weeks of school to get students intrigued, energized, and focused on science studies all year long? Using an NGSS framework, veteran middle grades teacher and science specialist Kathy Renfrew shares some of her favorite ideas.
When low-risk, high-interest writing becomes a daily habit for all of your students, whatever your content area, they’ll discover the powerful write-think-learn connection. Teacher-author and NBCT Mary Tedrow shares her classroom-tested “daybook” method for getting started.
Future of History / History Resources
by Sarah Cooper · Published 09/10/2017 · Last modified 03/02/2021
A history teacher’s role is to transmute history into stories and lessons that engage and inform students. Sarah Cooper shares a think-aloud “wondering” about ways to incorporate some of her summer professional reading into middle school history classes this year.
Heart of the School / Social Emotional Learning
by Rita Platt · Published 09/03/2017 · Last modified 07/31/2024
Joy is a part of a healthy climate, and in places where we spend huge chunks of time – like school – healthy climates are critical to the success of students and teachers alike. Rita Platt shares some of the ways she bring smiles and laughter into classroom culture.
What really stands out in the second edition of 25 Quick Formative Assessments for a Differentiated Classroom is the attention authors Dodge and Duarte pay to meshing tried and true formative assessments with engaging digital formats, says teacher-librarian Rita Platt.
Close Reading the Media / The Emmy Awards
by Frank Baker · Published 08/31/2017 · Last modified 09/08/2021
As the Emmys return in September to celebrate the art and craft of television, how do we encourage students to view the programming from a media literacy perspective, with the thinking parts of their brains turned on? Frank Baker ties television studies to CCSS.
Close Reading the Media / News Literacy
by Frank Baker · Published 08/28/2017 · Last modified 12/03/2019
How do today’s students access news and what do they understand about its origins? In his Close Reading the Media column, expert Frank W. Baker offers ideas and activities for engaging students in critical thinking about how they share and consume news in social media.
If you are a STEM teacher, you’ve likely made productive teamwork one of your goals. Just as likely, you’ve probably learned that simply putting kids in groups does not automatically make this happen. Anne Jolly shares a step by step process to build successful teams.
The Flexible Classroom / Zoey's Voice
by Amber Chandler · Published 08/15/2017 · Last modified 07/15/2024
Amber Chandler introduces her rising 7th grade daughter Zoey to share “five things I wish people told me about going to middle school.” Perspective is everything, as Zoey demonstrates, with some advice she urges sixth grade teachers to share with their new students.
